Fresh 20 users?

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Val_from_OH
Val_from_OH Posts: 447 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Anyone else belong to The Fresh 20 meal planning service? I joined at the beginning of the school year I think and for the most part have been really enjoying the food. I am pretty good in the kitchen, but I had been spending upwards of an hour every weekend sorting through recipes and planning our dinners for the following week. Subscribing to a service just makes that easier.

One major complaint that I have is that the nutrition information is almost always wrong. Just looking at the calories, without considering the macros, sometimes the count is really high, sometimes it is really low, but almost never in the ballpark. Am I the only one who has noticed this? This week, for example, I calculated the veggie sloppy joes at 362 calories each, but the included nutrition information has them at 459. Nearly 100 calories is a big difference, and I can't imagine where it came from - she uses pretty standard ingredients for which the nutrition information is easily found.

What do you like or dislike about this meal plan? Has anyone tried another that they like better?

Replies

  • msrootitooti
    msrootitooti Posts: 253 Member
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    I also use the Fresh 20... I LOVE IT! I joined about 2-3 months ago and work about 3 weeks behind. That way I can just bump ahead if there is a week I don't think we will like. We have loved most of the meals and I love the variety it has given us. This week we had too much going on so i didn't use it and I completely missed it... I can't wait to get back on track this coming week. I love how much of a time saver it is. It is always planned and I don't have to worry about it or buy way too much stuff that I throw things away.

    I have to be honest that I have just put into the system what is already in the MFP database.. yes, I am lazy that way :)
  • MandiMM
    MandiMM Posts: 5 Member
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    Hi! I'm actually the Community Manager of The Fresh 20!

    We actually have a certified nutritionist that uses scientific values from the food administration that are more accurate than online public/free software. We trust her and her knowledge to compile the nutritional information every week.

    I know that I've come across many variations when trying to find the value of something, especially when piecing a recipe together. It's kind of a pain when you rely on Google/guides/calculators/etc. I wish I had access to what our nutritionist uses!
  • haanmom
    haanmom Posts: 90 Member
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    I have been using a combination of Emeals and meal plans from Clean Eating magazine but switched to Fresh 20 this week! I am hoping it would lighten the shopping load a little bit and save me some planning time without compromising on quality. I've only made 1 meal so far, so I can't give an opinion about that, but my grocery bill for our family of 4 was under $100 this week, including a bag of charcoal for grilling we needed and 40oz of ground turkey! I was super excited about that since we usually are closer to $150/week.
  • Bookwormdee
    Bookwormdee Posts: 30 Member
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    I'm just finishing up week 2 of the Fresh 20, and I have yet to have a dud recipe. I am going to avoid the week that has mushrooms, since I just can't. Mushrooms, yuck. But my SO has really enjoyed the meals and I like knowing how dinner fits into my day, calorie-wise. The shopping part is a bonus!
  • candycaneps
    candycaneps Posts: 340 Member
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    I have been using a combination of Emeals and meal plans from Clean Eating magazine but switched to Fresh 20 this week! I am hoping it would lighten the shopping load a little bit and save me some planning time without compromising on quality. I've only made 1 meal so far, so I can't give an opinion about that, but my grocery bill for our family of 4 was under $100 this week, including a bag of charcoal for grilling we needed and 40oz of ground turkey! I was super excited about that since we usually are closer to $150/week.

    Does this price include your breakfast, lunch and dinner or just dinners only?
  • bethberg12
    bethberg12 Posts: 40 Member
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    Can anyone help me figure out how to enter the meal data for my food diary? I just started the Kosher meal plan and love it!

    Do I create a recipe for each one, or is there a way to add calories/fat/protein/sugar for each one?
  • Val_from_OH
    Val_from_OH Posts: 447 Member
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    Search them first. All the recipes from the standard meal plan are already in the food database (thank you to the person who does this), but I don't know about the kosher ones.

    If you don't find anything, then just add them as foods. Since the nutrition is already calculated for you, you don't need to add them as recipes. So go to "create new food" at the bottom of the search page, give it a name like "Fresh 20 Kosher Chicken Wraps" (or whatever the recipe is for that day) and put in the nutrition info.
  • lichic25
    lichic25 Posts: 161 Member
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    Love the Fresh 20! I've been doing it for almost a year and it's amazing how much better you feel after eating, even if you're full, you don't feel sick. It can be a gamble sometimes depending on your tastes and preferences so be sure to read through the recipe and adjust ingredients (ex: adding more spice if you like spicy foods) as you go.
  • swampus99
    swampus99 Posts: 21 Member
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    We are big fans in my house! Been using it for a couple of years now and I even have a signed copy of a cookbook from Melissa Lanz. :) My husband will ask for the meals if we have a week or two off for whatever reason.
  • ckujawa
    ckujawa Posts: 9 Member
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    We love it in my house too...though we sometimes substitute rice for quinoa because of personal tastes. Just wish the foods were here more often. I find myself adding them more often than not lately...

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